When Women Athletes Speak: How Activism Shapes Brand Attitudes and Purchase Intent

Abstract

Sport shapes everyday routines and identities while serving as a stage for community-building and political expression. As the sector expands and social media amplifies campaigns, brands like Nike, Adidas, Puma, and New Balance command vast cultural reach and face intensified scrutiny of their value-driven messaging. Athlete activism is now a visible feature of this landscape, yet reactions are polarized. Gender magnifies this divide. Female athletes who advocate for pay equity, bodily autonomy, LGBTQ+ inclusion, and protection from abuse often face disproportionate skepticism and gendered backlash, even when celebrated in marquee campaigns (e.g., Serena Williams). These double standards pose strategic and ethical questions for sponsors: Does endorsing female athlete activism strengthen or jeopardize brand attitudes and purchase intentions across consumer groups? Despite rising commentary, rigorous evidence on consumer responses to female-led activism remains limited, which is an important gap for marketers engaging digitally savvy, values-oriented audiences. This study examines how female athlete activism shapes consumer responses to sponsoring brands. Grounded in the Theory of Planned Behavior, Elaboration Likelihood Model and Social Identity Theory, it was hypothesized that featuring activist female athletes in brand communications would enhance brand attitudes and purchase intentions. A cross-sectional online survey of a culturally diverse sample (n = 112) assessed consumers’ brand attitudes and purchase intentions in the context of campaigns featuring female athletes engaged in activism. Results indicate that female athlete activism positively influences both outcomes. Contrary to common assumptions, moderation tests show that respondent gender and purchase-decision involvement do not significantly condition these effects. The findings extend research on activism in sport marketing by centering consumer responses to female athletes—a group that has historically faced gendered scrutiny—and by demonstrating that activism can generate favorable evaluations across consumer segments. Practically, the results suggest that brands can integrate female athlete activism into campaigns to strengthen brand evaluations and purchase intentions without differential risk across genders or involvement levels, while also contributing to more inclusive social narratives around women in sport.